(Zaman Al Wasl)- A well-informed source said hundreds of Turkish-backed Syrian rebels will be deployed in Libya along with Turkish forces as Ankara presses to implement a military cooperation agreement with the National Accord Government in Tripoli reached last month.
Senior officers of the Turkish intelligence met with commanders of the Syrian National Army in the eastern countryside of Aleppo on Sunday where they agreed to open a recruitment office.
The Turkish intelligence offered a number of incentives to bring in the largest possible number from the National Army to register, including a monthly salary estimated at $3,000 for officers and $2,000 for other elements, in addition to providing weapons and ammunition as well as food, in exchange for at least a three-month combat mission in the Libyan territory.
Sultan Murad and Al-Mu'tasim, key SNA factions, have opened the door for voluntary registration, according to the source.
In spite of these incentives, according to the source, registration is slow and almost negligible.
The Syrian National Army is an umbrella group in northern Syria consisting of an assortment of rebel forces. Many of the group’s factions, made up largely of Syrian Arab fighters, had already fought at Turkey’s behest in two previous military operations over the past three years,
This move coincides with the deadliest military operation in Idlib by Russian-backed regime forces that left 100 people dead and more than 130,000 people displaced.
Ankara says Fayez al-Serraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) has not yet asked Turkey to deploy troops to Libya. However, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey would increase its military support to Libya if necessary and would evaluate ground, air and marine options, according to Reuters.
Turkey backs Libya’s internationally recognized government and has said it could deploy troops there if it receives such a request. Libya’s Tripoli-based government has been fighting off a months-long offensive by Khalifa Haftar’s forces based in the
east of the country. Haftar’s Libyan National Army has received support from Russia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, Turkey may need to draft a bill to allow for troop deployment to Libya and its parliament is working on the issue, Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Tuesday, after Ankara signed a military cooperation agreement with Tripoli last month.
“There might be a need for an authorization in line with the developments over there. The parliament is conducting work on this issue,” Kalin told a news conference in Ankara.
Last week, Russia said it was very concerned about Turkey’s potential troop deployment in Libya, adding that the military accord between the two countries raised questions. A Turkish delegation traveled to Moscow on Monday to discuss developments in Libya and Syria.
Zaman Al Wasl
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